Jordan: Arrest warrant for brother in law King Abdullah

Over fraud charges

(ANSAmed) - AMMAN JAN 2 - Jordan police has issued an
international arrest warrant for arrest of an in law of the
royal family over suspected embezzlement of nearly half a
billion dollars from the national phosphate company, police
officials said Wednesday.

Waleed al Kurdi, husband of king Abdullah aunt, Basma bint Talal
is currently at large and believed to be in the UK after fleeing
the country after his name was implicated in the multi-million
dollar case.

Kurdi, former general manager of the state owned the national
phosphate company, is said to have embezzled nearly JD 340
million in transport contracts, commissions and abuse of his
posts, according to the national anti-corruption commission.
Kurdi was said to have agreed to pay charges of transport much
higher than the market price. It was not clear who owned the
foreign company.

Other charges involved abusing his post after Kurdi signed an
agreement to transport 250,000 tones of phosphate to Turkey with
a local company owned by his relatives.
Judicial sources told ANSA that Kurdi had transferred most of
his financial assets abroad and was given the heads up to leave
the country before being arrested.

The fiasco for the royal family is the latest episode in a
series of accusations against king Abdullah and his family over
embezzling state assets.

Several protests had asked the monarch to relinquish his
ownership of large swaths of land in the south, which he seized
without legal justification.

The monarch had responded to the land ownership by accusing a
government he appointed of registering the land in his name. He
had promised to wage a war against corruption and promised to
topple senior figures in the process.
Last year, the former intelligence department chief, Mohammad
Dhahabi was arrested in a multi-million fraud case. He was
sentenced to 13 years after the court found him guilty of
embezzlement. (ANSAmed).